The UK government has announced that transport secretary Grant Shapps has signed a commercial partnership with Israel, which it hopes will boost the UK economy and rail industry.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) will reportedly be signed by the two countries to knowledge share on large rail projects, following the launch of the Elizabeth line this year.
The MoU comes as Israel undertakes a multi-billion-pound transit project in Tel Aviv – the country’s largest ever infrastructure project.
The government plans to use the partnership with Israel, its third biggest transport goods trading partner, to create new business opportunities and potentially more jobs.
In July, the UK began negotiations with Israel to boost the current trade deal, which is worth £5bn and reportedly supports 6,600 UK businesses.
In 2021, the UK imported £144m worth of transportation services from Israel.
Shapps said: “Today’s partnership further ingrains our commitment to a global Britain, helping our world-leading rail industry to extend its expertise to friends overseas, while unlocking fresh business opportunities to boost the UK economy.
“Following the successful launch of our iconic Elizabeth line earlier this year, this memorandum is a fantastic opportunity for our British engineers and advisors to share their ingenuity with Israel as they undertake their largest ever rail project in Tel Aviv. ”
The Tel Aviv scheme is being supported by Crossrail International, a specialist advisory company owned by the Department for Transport, which offers technical guidance to global rail projects.
